Recap: Tuesday, 20th October 2009. Plays directly after Chapter 24.

~ Mini-'TIVA' on the loose ~

The first thing Gibbs noticed as he woke up was that he was lying at the very edge of his bed.

He groaned as he tried to move. His side ached like hell. A glance to the other half of the bed made him instantly realize why.

After the thunderstorm last night, he hadn't bothered to move Ziva to her own bed. A fact he slightly regretted now.

While sleeping the little girl had turned in a way that made her end up lying diagonally to him. Her small foot resting on his stomach while the other jabbed painfully against his side. Go figure.

"Ziva," he gently removed her foot from his stomach and shifted her into a more normal position on the bed.

Yet, the movement didn't woke the little girl and she peacefully slept on. Even his ringing cellphone didn't seemed to disturb her.

"Yeah?" Gibbs answered after having fished the annoying object off the floor.

'Boss?'

"What is it McGee." He ran a hand over his face.

'It's 9 am, boss.'

Gibbs cursed, "Rearrange to 10. I'll be there shortly." He directly hung up without a further word and stood up, stretching his aching muscles. The team leader was in a hurry now, since his team was supposed to be at the shooting range in less than an hour.

A glance at his shrunk agent was all what it took, to make him realize that he would never make it on time, if he needed to persuade Ziva to get out of bed and get her ready for the day.

The alarm clock on his night stand confirmed that they only slept about four hours. There was no way that the little girl would be happy with him if he forced her out of bed right now. Most likely she would end up being grumpy all day long.

"Bet Tony isn't ready to leave his bed either," mused Gibbs as he disappeared into his bathroom.

A few minutes later he was dressed and ready to leave as he climbed the few steps to Tony's room. The still sleeping Ziva and her blanket safely cradled in his arms.

Being as silent as possible he crossed the wide space of the attic and gently placed Ziva on the teenager's couch. He had decided to leave her with Tony, giving them both the chance to catch a few more hours of sleep.

If he thought about it, it couldn't be better for him. This way he didn't needed to explain why the little girl was supposed to stay with Abby till the afternoon and couldn't tag along with him and the rest of his 'new' team.

"Tony," called Gibbs quietly, having tugged the blanket around Mini-Ziva before he had walked over to the teenager's bed.

"What?" Came the mumbled reply from under the pillow where Tony kept his head away from the sunshine which radiate through the closed curtains.

"It's 9:16 am."

"What!" Startled, Tony sat up, his head aching at the sudden motion and his pillow flying to the wooden floor.

"Relax," Gibbs smirked, "Just waking you to tell you I'm off to work now." He picked the pillow of the ground and handed it back to Tony.

"Thought I was supposed to go too," the teenager asked confused.

"You were," confirmed the agent, "But after what little sleep you got last night I doubt you'll be able to be much of a help. The team will be off at the shooting range most of the day anyway."

"Right," Tony yawned, "You and Ziva going then?"

"Nope, only me. Kid is still fast asleep. I don't want to wake her - couldn't anyway. I placed her on your couch so she won't be scared when she wakes up. Don't want her to running around the house, thinking she was left alone."

"'kay." Tony snuggled back into his bedding.

"Call me when you're both awake."

"Mhm," Tony had already closed his eyes and was dreaming again by the time Gibbs left the house.

(A few hours later)

"Tony?" A small voice questioned.

"Hmpf, " He momentarily lifted his head to see Mini-Ziva sitting on her knees right next to him. "Why are you up, bug?" He closed his eyes again.

"Dunno." She shrugged, gazing intensively at him.

"Come on, sleep a few hours longer," pleaded the teenager. He wasn't ready to leave his comfy bed just yet.

"Sleep here?" She quietly asked. The couch wasn't very comfortable to sleep on.

Tony cracked an eye open and regarded his small companion, "You want to sleep next to me?"

The little girl nodded.

"Get comfortable then," he scooted a bit to make more room for her.

-"Toda!"-

"No problem, bug." As he said this he felt the bed lift as the small girl jumped off it.

"Where you going?" He wondered out loud.

Ziva didn't answered him but picked her blanket up from the couch, dragging it behind her over the floor as she returned to Tony's bed.

"Aw, you got your blanket." He sleepily commented.

"Uh huh," Ziva yawned and tried to lift the heavy object onto the bed - without much success.

"Here," Tony pulled the sheet onto his bed, holding an edge up for her, "Hop in."

The little girl smiled gratefully at him and quickly crawled under the blanket, which Tony then tugged around her before getting comfortable himself.

"Night bug."

"Laila tov," mumbled Ziva. A content sigh escaping her.

(Another couple of hours later)

"Toneyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

"Huh?" Drowsily the teenager opened his eyes, "Hey?"

"Me hungryyyyyyyyyyyyy," whined Ziva, sitting once again right next to him on his bed. Her small hands grasping the teen's upper arm as he lay sprawled out on his back.

"Just a few more minutes," he made a move to turn around, facing away from her.

"Toneyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" She tried to shake him, but was only able to move his arm a bit.

The teenager opened his eyes again and fully turned to her, "Zeevahhhhhhhhhhhhhh." He echoed with a smile.

"Pleassseeeeeeeeeeeeee!" She stuck her bottom lip out. Her eyebrows knitted into an unhappy expression.

Tony eyed the small child, "You're really hungry, aren't you?"

Mini-Ziva nodded sad-eyed.

"Alright," he groggily sat up, "Let's go downstairs then."

"Yay!" the little girl pounced on him, hugging him tightly and causing them both to fall down back onto the mattress and Tony to laugh.

(Kitchen)

"Soooo," drawled Tony as he stood in the middle of the kitchen with Ziva by his side. Both were still dressed in their sleepwear, "What would you like for lunch?"

"Lunch?" The little girl looked up at him, frowning.

"Sorta too late for breakfast. It's already two in the afternoon." Tony shrugged.

"How about pasta?" He suggested as he got no response from his small companion. Inwardly he hoped that she would go for it, cause he wasn't so sure if he was able to cook anything else. At least not something that tasted good.

"O'tay." Mini-Ziva sighed. As long as she got something to eat anytime soon, it was alright with her.

"You go change and I'll get our meal ready then." Tony walked to the cupboards in which he guessed the pots were stored.

"Me wanna help!" Ziva protested loudly, nearly stomping her foot.

The teenager turned around to look at her, "Bug, the stove will be very hot. I don't want you to get hurt."

Mini-Ziva pouted. Her whole posture alerting Tony that she was about to throw a fit.

"You can set the table, alright?" He tried to alley her.

Fortunately for him, she responded to his offer, albeit reluctant.

"O'tay," sighed the small girl and walked out of the kitchen in order to change first.

"Dodged a bullet once more," the teen though smiling.

(Lunchtime)

"Tony?" Mini-Ziva asked quietly, piercing a noodle with her fork, before guiding it to her mouth and chewing thoughtfully on it.

"Yeah?"

"Where 'ibbs?" She eyed him while she picked on her food, pushing it around the plate.

"He's at work. He wanted us to be able to sleep longer today." Tony watched her movements closely.

Quietly, Mini-Ziva nodded. Her expression remaining downcast.

"We could go to the park after lunch." Tony suggested, taking a bite of his own meal.

The sentences didn't failed it purpose and brown eyes looked hopefully at him, "Ice cream?"

"Sure, I think that's okay," he smiled at her, "I need to phone Gibbs first, though."

"Me talk?" In her joy she had totally forgotten to swallow first before talking.

Tony laughed, "We will both talk to him, okay?"

Mini-Ziva nodded eagerly.

"Eat up then." He motioned to her plate which still was half-full with noodles and tomato sauce.

Though, as he saw her start eating faster than before, he immediately corrected himself, "Slowly, bug."

The little girl grinned sheepishly at him but only slowed her pace slightly.

(An hour later)

After a phone call to Gibbs, in which Mini-Ziva had told agent in great detail that Tony and she would go and eat ice cream the two of them entered the playground in the nearby park.

"Tony, come," the little girl tugged on his hand, urging him to walk faster.

"Where are we going?"

"'is!" She pointed to the large climbing frame.

"Uhm, I don't think that's for your age, bug." Tony regarded the monkey bars with suspicion. There were no ladders present at the ends of it and even he would be forced to stretch in order to reach the single bars.

"Me wanna, pleasseeeeeeeeeeeee," Ziva looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Alright, go on." The teenager rolled his eyes, slightly smiling.

"Help?" Mini-Ziva gave him a sheepish look as she stood right under the monkey bars. The tall frame letting her appear smaller than she really was.

"How should I help you?" Tony grinned. He loved to play dumb and to let her explain stuff to him as if he was a two-year-old.

"Up!"

"Up and..." he raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

"Up, pleasseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Ziva exclaimed while she grinned openly at him.

"As you wish." He laughed and gently scooped her up, holding her just high enough for her to grasp the bars easily, "Now you can move forward."

"Toneeyyyyyyyyyyyy," she stretched his name on purpose while giving him a toothy smile, "Me do alone!"

"You really want me to let go of you?" Tony checked earnestly, still holding her secure. Gibbs would probably kill him if she fell and broke something. Or worse... He didn't really wanted to think about this possibility.

"Yes!"

"Alright," he smirked slightly before he cautiously removed his hands, letting the small girl bore her own weight.

"Not that easy, huh?" The teenager watched as she struggled to get moving, ready to catch her at any moment.

Mini-Ziva mumbled something incomprehensibly before she managed to gain enough momentum by swinging her legs in order to grab the next bar. She was able to move another ten bars forward before her grip started to loose.

The moment she let go of the monkey bars Tony caught her safely, "That was very good," he praised with a wide smile. Adrenaline rushing through his veins.

"Look! Me do alone!" She beamed at him, her respiration coming in heavy breaths.

"Yes." He grinned, "How about a break now?"

"No." Mini-Ziva shook her head, causing her curls to fly around unhindered.

"No?"

"No!" Ziva giggled.

"Okay, bug. Where to next?"

The little girl looked around, her eyes coming to rest on the big slide a few steps away.

"'is!" She pointed to it.

"Slide?"

"Uh huh!"

He gently set her on the soft ground of the play yard, "Go on, then."

"You come!" She tugged on his hand.

"No," the teen shook his head, "I'm too big. It's only for kids. Look," he directed her gaze to the slide where a few children were taking turns in sliding down. "No teens like me."

"O'tay," Ziva mumbled dejected.

"But you go and have fun. I'll be watching you the whole time."

The little girl looked uncertainly at the other kids, "P'omise?"

"Yep," he ruffled her curly hair, and gently pushed her to the slide, "Go on. I'm sure those kids are really nice. And if not I'm here to protect you."

To Ziva's surprise none of the children commented or frowned as she queued up.

"Look Tony!" She shouted as she was at the top of the slide, ready to slide down.

"I see," he called out and waved while restraining his laughter. Happy to see her enjoying herself as she continued to slide.

(Time for ice cream)

"Tony?"

"Ziva?" echoed the teenager.

The little girl giggled, "We go t'orrow?"

Tony frowned, "You mean if we go here tomorrow?"

-"Ken,"- Ziva licked the ice cream drops from where they had fallen on her hand.

"You're going to preschool, tomorrow," he gently reminded her.

"You?" She squinted at him.

"I'll be doing some work." He absent minded watched a man with his dog a few feet away.

"No p'e'cool?"

Tony laughed, "Nope bug, it's like with the slide. No teens allowed."

"Me no wanna." Ziva suddenly declared after they had continued to eat their ice for a while.

"I thought you liked it?"

Mini-Ziva shook her head.

"Are you scared, little bug?" He watched her closely.

When the small girl shrugged Tony knew he was on the right path.

"You know on my first school day I was really really scared." He begun his little story, which he hoped would convince his friend to go and have fun tomorrow.

"You?" She looked wide-eyed at him.

"Yep, me. Very very scared." He gave her a small grin, "But you know it was pretty cool."

Mini-Ziva squinted at him, "Cool?"

"Lots of fun," he elaborated, "The kids there were very friendly. We played a lot every day. It never was boring and I met a lot of new friends."

"They no mean?" Ziva asked in a small voice.

"Only a few," Tony thought dryly but negated the question with fierce for Ziva's sake.

"You know," he fed the rest of his cone to a small bird who has observed them for some time now, "Gibbs will come and get you if you really don't like it there."

Ziva nodded her head. The older agent had told her so numerous times over the last few days but she still felt insecure about being all alone, with none of the team present.

"Me go," the little girl declared quietly, looking at Tony, who proudly gazed down at her.

~ Fin ~

Ken = Yes